Just like a momma bear defending her bear cubs, this mother wasn’t about to let her baby or herself become victim to a criminal intruder.

According to the The Indy Channel on March 24, 2016, a woman heard someone breaking in through a window in her baby’s room in the middle of the day. The woman quickly retrieved her gun and headed to the baby’s room. When she entered the intruder raised his gun and fired twice at her, missing both times. The woman fired back and hit the criminal multiple times. He was later taken to the hospital in serious condition.

This is just one of countless examples where law abiding citizens use a firearm in defense of themselves and their loved ones. You can read many more examples at the Armed Citizen.

Welcome to our first installment of “Tactical Influencers,” where we’ll be covering individuals in the tactical, shooting, self-defense and other related fields that we think you should add to your network of “influencers.” In other words, you should follow what they’re up to. For those of you that have been around for a while, these will likely be familiar names, but perhaps you haven’t thought of them in a while. Accept this as an opportunity to stay up to date on their work. For those of you who are new to shooting sports or haven’t spent a lot of time studying self-defense – these posts are for you!

Whether you’re in law enforcement, the military or just a regular suburban dad with a desk job like me, you should endeavor to continually improve yourself and your preparedness – for anything that might happen. I’m not saying we all need to know SWAT breaching tactics or how to clear rooms (Nor am I suggesting I’m the tactical expert that you should listen to – I am not). However, situational awareness, having an escape plan, being prepared with a basic trauma medical kit and knowing how to use it, and being proficient with your carry weapon are examples where tactics can apply to anyone.

When we look to improve ourselves, particularly in the tactical space, we should seek out the best instructors with the best experience. With this in mind, I’m happy to introduce you to Greg Ellifritz of Active Response Training. Greg has been a police officer since 1995 and spent 13 years as the full time tactical training officer for his central Ohio agency (you can find his full bio here). I’ve been following Greg for a couple of years now and am continually impressed with the volume of tactical content he puts out. Greg is a tactician’s tactician, a real expert in his field who constantly strives to master his craft. Every week, Greg publishes a “Weekend Knowledge Dump,” with commentary and links to dozens of articles and other media that the tactician would find beneficial. Here’s last weeks installment: Weekend Knowledge Dump- March 24, 2017.

“Guns, hunting, etc., are not subjects that are to be discussed in school,” informed the administrator. So read a letter sent to Collinsville, Illinois, resident Kristy Jackson, the mother of a four-year-old boy suspended for seven days. His offense?

He secretly brought a spent .22 caliber shell casing to school and enjoys turning toys into imaginary guns.

Moreover, the school, A Place 2 Grow in Troy, doesn’t like certain facts any more than it does imagination. When Mrs. Jackson related her woes in a now-viral Facebook post, the school reported her to the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) in what she described to The New American as a “revenge move.”

As for the shell casing, it’s not that her son, little Hunter, had just returned from a gangland hit. His grandfather, a Caseyville police officer, had taken the boy to learn gun safety and do some target practicing over the weekend, and Hunter had secretly picked the casing up at the range. Subsequently, and unbeknownst to his parents, he brought it into school thinking it was a neat show-and-tell kind of item.